Living urban comfortably is impossible for most, so let's get radical | Plazas

For the past 11 months, photographer George Walker IV, and Opinion Engagement Editor David Plazas — with support and guidance from The Tennessean team — have told the story about the growing gap between prosperity and inequality in this booming city.

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Homeless men and women line up to receive a meal under the Kelly Miller Smith memorial bridge Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Nashville.(Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

Most of Nashville's residents do not make the $80,000 a year to make it without feeling stressed.

Music City is hardly alone, but that's really relative. Longtime residents are feeling it.

Our system isn't working. Why not consider a living wage or subsidize housing for the working class?

The wealth gap between those living comfortably and those who are not is widening in Nashville.

In fact, cities all over the country are getting more expensive to live in and uncomfortable people – i.e., most residents – are feeling the burden especially hard.

While the escalating cost of living is not new, a recent report about what it takes to live comfortably should sound alarms that current efforts to chip away at the affordable housing scarcity are not working well or fast enough.

GoBankingRates.com’s 2018 scorecard showed that it takes $80,548 a year to live comfortably in Nashville. That’s 50 percent for necessities, 20 percent for savings and 30 percent for disposable income.

That figure grew from $70,000 in 2017 – a 14 percent increase in only one year.

As one commenter wrote when she shared my tweet on Facebook: “Raise your hand if you got a 10k raise this year ... I'll wait.”

Tensions rise as it becomes harder to make ends meet

On Twitter, Christine Valiquette, who holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, replied to my tweet by writing: “Nashvillians already "knew". @MayorBriley @ashfordhughes what is the plan to bring incomes for struggling Nashvillians in line with the increased costs of living in the It City?”

Hughes, Mayor’s Briley’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, responded: “The incomes are here. We need to better connect residents with education, training and the certifications needed to acquire higher paying jobs. We have to start from middle school preparing people for the industries in demand that pay living wages.”

This is awful news, but at the same time, it's great to have confirmation of what so many struggling Nashvillians already "knew". @MayorBriley@ashfordhughes what is the plan to bring incomes for struggling Nashvillians in line with the increased costs of living in the It City?

The incomes are here. We need to better connect residents with education, training and the certifications needed to acquire higher paying jobs. We have to start from middle school preparing people for the industries in demand that pay living wages.

According to the latest Census figures, the median income in Nashville is $49,891. It’s conceivable as more newcomers have come into the region – at about 94 per day – that this figure has risen, but it is unlikely anywhere near $80,000.

The $30,000 gap between the median income in Nashville and the salary to live comfortably exceeds the gap felt by other comparable cities like Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, Denver, Memphis and Sacramento.

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The gap is growing between the median income in American cities and the amount it takes to live comfortably, according to GoBankingRates.com. (via Infogr.am)(Photo: The Tennessean)

This situation helps lead to further displacement of economically strapped people, whether out of the city, into poverty or into homelessness.

It makes it harder for businesses to fill positions or retain employees — and it can lead to personnel poaching, a phenomenon The Tennessean has written about concerning the construction and restaurant industries.

A political action committee backed by Arizona Public Service, the state's electric company, is trying to keep a renewable energy initiative off the ballot. The cartoonist's homepage, azcentral.com/opinions/benson Steve Benson, The Arizona Republic

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“The problem has become more severe,” Fraser said. “It may be chronic.”

“Without a radical shift in public policy to create a stock of social housing – housing that is subsidized for low income and moderate income people — what we’re going to find with younger people coming up is that they’re not able to make enough money to be homeowners or they’re not able to get apartments by themselves," he said.

He said the affordable housing shortage has a negative effect on the mental and physical health of people, something confirmed by a 2017 study from the Nashville-based Sycamore Institute.

Other ideas worth looking into include a negative income tax or creating a basic livable wage – in lieu of requiring businesses to keep raising the minimum wage.

Critics might call this socialism, but government already subsidizes a lot, to a smaller or larger degree, such as, health care, education, sports arenas, business headquarters relocation and farmers.

There are good reasons for these investments to help grow an economy.

The same logic could be applied to house people who want to grow with that economy.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for The Tennessean. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.